Device for oiling slices of plastic stock



Aug. 20, 1957 a T. HENSGEN DEVICE FOR OILING SLICES OF PLASTIC STOCK Filed Dec. 7, 1955 ATTORA/[V United States Patent Ofiice 2,803,214 Patented Aug. 20, 1957 DEVICE FOR OILING SLICES OF PLASTIC STOCK Bernard T. Hensgen, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Swift & Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application December 7, 1955, Serial No. 551,486 Claims. (Cl. 11815) This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for cutting a bar of plastic stock. More particularly, the invention relates to a device for spraying oil upon individual slices of plastic materials such as bacon at the time that such plastic material is undergoing a slicing operation.

Most bacon is supplied to retailers in the common presliced or shingled form. That is, the bacon is sliced and in half or one-pound quantities is shingled or off-set so as to fit into a flat elongated package. However, it is well-known to the housewife that slices tend to adhere to one another, particularly after the bacon has been placed in the refrigerator for a reasonable period of time. As a result the individual slices tend to break up when pulled free of one another. A possible solution to this problem is to spray the indivdual slices at the time they are being cut from the bacon slab with an edible oil which is capable of remaining fluid at low temperatures. However, a certain amount of diificulty is encountered here as the knives ordinarily used to slice bacon, those of the reciprocating disk or spiral type operate in such a fashion as to cover the face of the bacon slab or bar for a large percentage of the time during each slicing cycle. It has been suggested to apply edible oil to the bacon knife and thereby transfer it directly to the bacon so as to obviate the problems presented in direct application of oil to the product. This is a wasteful operation. If attempts are to be made to apply the edible oil directly to the bacon face, it must be done at a rather high pressure as otherwise the eddy currents of air set up by the moving knife cause a loss of oil. Where an ordinary spraying nozzle, for example, that shown in the Rose Patent No. 1,944,577, is used under high pressure whereby to overcome the effect of the air currents, the quantity of oil discharged will be excessive.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which is capable of spraying a carefully controlled quantity of oil directly upon the face of a bar of plastic stock such as a bacon slab at the time the slicing operation is being performed whereby to prevent adherence of one slice to another under the influence of relatively cold temperatures.

It is a further object of this invention to eliminate the difficulties presented by the eddy currents around knives of the rotating variety and to secure a proper application of an edible oil to plastic stock surfaces.

A final object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for applying edible oil which remains liquid at low temperatures to stock surfaces in an atomized form during the interval before cutting when the knife blade is clear of the surface.

Broadly, this invention comprises a source of atomized edible oils of the type which will not become solid or extremely viscous at low temperatures, a rotating discharge valve elongated in shape and approximately coextensive with the face of the stock being sprayed which is capable of discharging a measured quantity of the atomized oil from the oil source. The oil spray reservoir and discharge valve are used in cooperation with a knife, preferably of the disk or cam variety, and means for advancing the stock bar beneath the knife. The device may alternatively be used in cooperation with the reciprocating type of knife but is especially designed for a knife of the rotating variety. The device operates in such a fashion that a closely governed quantity of atomized oil is removed from the oil spray reservoir and is discharged in a flat spray directly at the face of the bacon or other similar plastic material at the point when the slicing knife is in a withdrawn or raised position such that the entire stock surface is exposed. The valve itself operates at the same high speed as the knife blade and is thereby capable of ejecting the oil with considerable force so as to overcome any eddy currents or other air disturbances which may be present.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing the reservoir, valve, stock slab and rotatable cutting knife.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view showing the reservoir, rotating knife and bacon slab.

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2 but showing the knife blade in a cutting position.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the reservoir taken along the line 44 of Figure 2 showing the interior of the oil reservoir and its valve rotor.

Figure 5 is a view of the oil reservoir showing the spray nozzle.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters refer to like parts throughout, the device comprises generally a knife Ill suitable for slicing a bar of plastic stock such as bacon. The knife is mounted on a shaft 11 which when driven turns the knife at high velocities. Directly beneath the knife is the bacon slab to be sliced. The knife shown is of a cam formation disposed spirally on its shaft in such a fashion that as it turns it actually slices for only a portion of any given revolution. The actual cutting edge of the knife is shown at 12 in Figures 2 and 3. Of course, means must be provided for advancing the bacon slab as the slicing operation takes place. This is not a part of this invention and is, accordingly, not shown. The above-mentioned patent to Rose shows such a. means for advancing a bar of plastic stock. Pressure chamber spray reservoir 13 is equipped with an oil inlet 14 and high presure air inlet 15 and a recirculating line 16 at the base for conveying off any liquid oil which happens to condense out. As shown in Figure 4, the internally mounted oil inlet and air inlet nozzles so coact as to form an atomizer which disperses tiny particles of the oil throughout the reservoir 13. In such a fashion the fine mist which is eventually to be sprayed upon the bacon slab is formed. The reservoir is equipped with a discharge valve 17 which is preferably cylindrical and has a nozzle or mouth 18 which is approximately the width of the bacon slab. Within the cylindrical valve body is positioned a rotor so that a small chamber is formed between the rotor 19 which has a groove 20 along its longitudinal surface itself and the valve cylinder wall. Thus, as the rotor turns, it will present the grooved portion to the reservoir interior at one station, thereby picking up a charge of oil mist and, after turning approximately to a second station will allow that charge of oil to pass out through mouth 18 whereupon it directly contacts the stock surface. The rotor 19 is driven by shaft 21 which turns at the same high speed as does the slicing blade, thereby causing the oil to be ejected at considerable velocity from opening 18. Of course, the knife and rotor must be synchronized so that the oil is ejected only at the time when the knife blade is not covering the stock surface.

In operation, the slag (shown at the left of Figure l) is fed beneath the rotating blade 10 having a peripheral cutting edge 12. The blade driven by shaft 11 operates at high velocity and its movement is synchronized with that of the rotor 19 within the valve housing 1.7 at the base of mist reservoir 13. The grooved portion 20 of the rotor 19 on being presented to the interior of chamber 13 picks up suflicient quantities of the finely divided oil under a high pressure to fill the space defined by the groove wall and the interior wall of the valve housing. The rotor, turning at the same speed as the knife, preferably about 800 revolutions per minute, turns 180 and exposes the groove 20 to the flat outlet nozzle 18. Since the mouth of the valve is coextensive with the face of the stock slab and because of the fact that the knife is in such a position that the face of the stock is exposed, this entire surface will be sprayed with the edible oil. Following the spraying operation the knife, continuing to turn, slices off another piece and during this time the rotor completes its cycle, picks up additional mist, and then returns so as to prepare for the next ejection of oil. The oil within the chamber is atomized through the action of feed tubes 14 and 15, the first of which conveys oil to the chamber and the second, air. The air is under substantial pressure and the nozzles coact like an ordinary atomizer to completely break up and thoroughly disperse all particles throughout the chamber 13. Of course, means can easily be provided for forming the mist elsewhere than in the pressure chamber and suitably conveying it to the discharge valve.

It is seen, therefore, that with this dispensing means it is possible to evenly coat bacon or similar plastic material with just the proper amount of edible oil, preferably of the variety which does not solidify at relatively low temperatures. Because the amount of oil released is carefully governed, never exceeding the space defined by the numeral 20, there is never an excess of oil sprayed. Because of the rotors high speed, oil is ejected with considerable force and is consequently not disturbed by the eddy currents which may be set up where a blade of the rotating variety is used. As long as the operation of the rotor and knife blade are synchronized, there is no possibility that the oil will be sprayed upon the knife blade and wasted as is common with most present-day oiling apparatus.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device for cutting slices of plastic material from a bar of stock the combination with a knife to cut intermittently and means for actuating said knife of: means for supplying atomized oil; a valve body associated with said atomized oil source laterally positioned relative to said bar of stock and substantially co-extensive therewith, said valve body being positioned so that when open an oil spray is directed at the freshly cut end of said bar of stock; and means synchronized with said knife for opening said valve when the freshly cut end of said plastic bar is exposed by the withdrawing of said knife.

2. In a device for cutting slices of plastic material from a bar of stock the combination with a knife to cut intermittently and means for actuating said knife of: a chamber; means for forming an atomized spray of oil within said chamber; a valve body associated with said chamber having a nozzle laterally disposed relative to and substantially co-extensive with the face of said bar of stock, said valve body being positioned so that when open an oil spray is directed at the freshly cut end of the bar of stock; and means synchronized with said knife for opening said valve when the freshly cut end of said plastic bar is exposed by the withdrawing of said knife.

3. In a device for cutting slices of plastic material from a bar of stock, the combination with a knife to cut intermittently and means for actuating said knife of: a chamber; means for forming an atomized spray within said chamber; a valve body associated with said chamber substantially cylindrical in shape and positioned laterally relative to and substantially coextensive with the said bar of stock, said valve body having a cylindrical rotor within and means for turning said rotor, said cylindrical rotor having a groove extending longitudinally thereof whereby when said valve rotates the grooved portion will be presented to the interior of said chamber at one station to admit atomized particles of oil and said grooved portion in another station will be presented to the valve mouth whereby to release said spray through the valve nozzle, said valve nozzle being directed at the freshly cut end of said bar of stock; and means for synchronizing the operation of said knife and said valve rotor whereby to spray the freshly cut bar of stock when the cutting surface of said knife is in a withdrawn position.

4. In a device for cutting slices of plastic material from a bar of stock, the combination with a knife to cut intermittently and means for actuating said knife of: a chamber; means for distributing an atomized spray through said chamber; a valve body associated with said chamber positioned laterally relative to and substantially co-extensive with the said bar of stock, said valve body containing a cylindrical rotor having a grooved portion extending longitudinally thereof and means for driving said rotor; means associated with said chamber for forcing oil spray into the space defined by the grooved portion of said rotor and the inner wall of the valve casing; means for turning said rotor whereby in one station the oil spray will be forced into the rotor groove from the chamber and in another said groove will be presented to the valve mouth whereby to release said spray; and means for synchronizing the action of said rotor and said knife whereby spray is released at the point at which said knife is in a withdrawn position.

5. In a device for cutting slices of plastic material from a bar of stock, the combination with a knife to cut intermittently and means for actuating said knife of: an oil spray reservoir; means for distributing atomized oil throughout said oil reservoir; means for removing condensed oil at the base of said reservoir; a valve body associated with said oil reservoir having a nozzle of width approximating that of the slab of stock being treated; said valve being positioned lateraly relative to and substantially co-extensive with the said bar of stock, said valve body being substantially cylindrical and having a longitudinally grooved rotor within, said rotor when driven presenting the grooved portion to the spray chamber at one station and to the valve mouth at another station whereby to pick up oil spray at the chamber and release oil spray to the valve month, said valve rotor and said knife being synchronized whereby said spray is released when said knife is in a withdrawn position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,957,623 Walter May 8, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 359,972 Great Britain Oct. 30, 1931 

1. IN A DEVICE FOR CUTTING SLICES OF PLASTIC MATERIAL FROM A BAR OF STOCK THE COMBINATION WITH A KNIFE TO CUT INTERMITTENTLY AND MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID KNIFE OF: MEANS FOR SUPPLYING ATOMIZED OIL; A VALVE BODY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ATOMIZED OIL SOURCE LATERALLY POSITIONED RELATIVE TO SAID BAR OF STOCK AND SUBSTANTIALLY CO-EXTENSIVE THEREWITH, SAID VALVE BODY BEIN POSITIONED SO THAT WHEN OPEN AN OIL SPRAY IS DIRECTED AT THE FRESHLY CUT END OF SAID BAR OF STOCK; AND MEANS SYNCHRONIZED WITH SAID KNIFE FOR OPENING SAID VALVE WHEN THE FRESHLY CUT END OF SAID PLASTIC BAR IS EXPOSED BY THE WITHDRAWING OF SAID KNIFE. 